synopsis: Dr. Angel has a new patient that not only hears voices in her mind but becomes an entirely different person altogether when they’re active. What is going on?
Angel Versus Myriad
Part 1
Janet Hawthorne sat perfectly still, eyes closed, inside Dr. Angel’s office. She was her first patient of the day and, depending on how things progressed, probably her last too. The psychiatrist and hypnotherapist had already instructed her secretary to be ready to clear her schedule, a strange request but one that the purple-haired girl with big eyes that looked straight out of a Japanese anime had done her best to comply. Tension filled the air of the skyscraper’s seventh floor and it was unlikely to clear soon.
It was the first time Janet had been hypnotized, and no one knew exactly what to expect. The mid-twenties hotel receptionist was a special case in Dr. Angel’s long list of clients. Though she said she could hear voices in her mind besides her own, she lacked any other symptoms of common mental diseases associated with the phenomenon. Whatever was going on with her had a different origin and perhaps a deep delve into her subconscious could finally shed a light on her condition.
Dr. Angel had been hesitant to work with her since the beginning, only agreeing to do so after a heartfelt request by her friend and colleague Hannah who had run out of options when it came to her well-being.
“I tried, I really did,” she had said over a cup of black coffee on a Saturday morning the month before, “but I can’t reach her no matter what. You would do me a great favor if you could take over her case for me.”
“I can’t. You know I’m swamped right now.”
“Please! I don’t know who else to turn to.”
“Have you tried Lisa? She opened a new office downtown and from what you described, this case looks right up her alley.”
“Didn’t you hear? Lisa’s on an extended break right now.”
“Huh? What happened?”
“She just found out her mother has stage 4 breast cancer and stopped everything she was doing to be with her. You should call her sometime to see how she’s doing. I’m sure she will appreciate the thought.”
“Fuck cancer!” Dr. Angel sighed. “Yeah, I will, thanks. How about Phil? Have you talked to him yet?”
“I tried, but he didn’t answer any of my calls or e-mails so, yeah... it’s either you or no one, and I don’t want to leave her hanging, despite...”
“Despite what?”
“Despite how she makes me feel when we have sessions together.”
“What do you mean, Hannah? What’s really bothering you that you’re not telling me?”
Hannah pursed her lips and stared at her with vitreous eyes as if she had seen a decaying corpse crawling out of its grave.
“She scares me, okay? You know I don’t get spooked easily, but there’s something about this young woman that doesn’t add up. I noticed it almost immediately, but I tried to dismiss it in order to do my job. It took me a while to realize that I just can’t. Our arrangement isn’t working, which is why I need you and your expertise on the matter.”
“Hmm... not sure how I feel about that. I don’t want to deal with your ghosts, Hannah.”
“And yet, you’re the only one who can. You’ve always been the strongest one, and you know it. I’m begging you, please! Examine her file, get an appointment going, and see what comes out of it. She needs a sharper mind than mine by her side. If you do this for me, I...”
“You what?”
“I’ll take five cases off your hands to reduce your workload.”
“That’s quite the offer. You really are that desperate, huh?”
“Absolutely. Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll look into it, but no promises for now, okay?”
“Fair enough. Let me know when you reach a decision. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
It took Dr. Angel a week and two additional days to finally say ‘yes’ to her friend’s plight. During that time, she read and reread Janet’s file more times than she remembered and even listened to a recording of one of her past sessions to get a better grasp of what was coming her way. The receptionist’s voice was tender and sweet, except when it wasn’t, and a sense of growing uneasiness was clear with every syllable being uttered. The overall cold nature of the recording didn’t frighten her at all, rather serving as an appetizer for her curious intellect. “Okay,” she thought. “Let’s see what’s so terrifying about you, Janet Hawthorne.”
The first time they were face to face, she saw nothing. Janet was a petite brunette with round green eyes, a Roman nose, and heart-shaped lips. She possessed a natural elegance that reminded the doctor of young women from the 40s and 50s, but one thing you didn’t see back then was excessive ink on display. Janet had no tattoos on her body save for her right arm, which was covered in many intricate and colorful designs from impossible mythological creatures to obscure quotes from books she had never heard before. Amidst such a garish spectacle, the real challenge was finding a piece of flesh that still retained its natural color.
The appointment was short, serving only for the two women to get to know one another before moving on to more pressing matters. Janet’s disposition was far from amenable throughout the whole thing, probably still recovering from the shock that yet another one of her therapists had bailed on her. It was the third time this happened in the course of eight months, and she didn’t want to go through a fourth. Dr. Angel listened to her grumbles and complaints, compared the notes on Hannah’s file with her own initial observations and when they said their goodbyes for the day, she was convinced her friend’s impressions were more likely to be an imaginary product of excessive stress than something real she was to be afraid of. Her secretary shared a different opinion, though.
“I don’t like the energy of that one,” she had said.
“What do you mean?”
“Her aura is all over the place. I know you don’t believe in those things, Dr., but I’m telling you it’s true. You should be careful around her.”
“You’re right, I don’t believe in that, but don’t worry. I’m always careful.”
“Okay.”
Always was an overstatement though she was definitely more cautious than some of her peers. During her first year on the job, she had learned the hard way the consequences of getting too emotionally attached to those in her care, and the lessons learned had never left her mind since then. Whenever she accepted a new case, she made sure to first reinforce her mental barriers so that no nasty surprises could find a way in and so far so good. However, the first cracks appeared right at the beginning of the second session.
It happened on a dark afternoon when the skies outside her office window threatened to engulf the world in heavy rain. Dr. Angel was trying to get her new patient to open up about the voices in her head, but Janet seemed positively aloof and bored, looking everywhere except at her.
“There’s nothing to say. They’re not here right now.”
“Were they there with you today?”
“Yes.”
“When was that, Janet?”
“In the morning, right after I woke up, but then they went away. It’s what they do. They come and go as they please, and I can’t stop them.”
“Do you know why they do that?”
“No, and it’s better not to ask.”
“Why is that?”
“They get angry if I do, and others pay the consequences. I’m not supposed to interfere in their plans, and so I don’t.”
“What consequences are we talking about? Have the voices ever told you to hurt anyone on their behalf?”
“They tell me many things, Dr. Angel, and most of them aren’t nice.”
“Do you mind sharing some of them?”
“Yes, I do mind. If I start talking, they’ll probably come back to silence me, and I don’t want that. You understand, don’t you?”
“No, Janet, I don’t. I was hoping you would help me understand.”
“I don’t want to. Please don’t insist.”
“Janet, the only way I’ll be able to help you is if you’re willing to talk to me. Do you think you could make that effort right now?”
“I already said no!” the young woman suddenly growled as if a beast from the nether regions of the world had awakened inside her. “I don’t like repeating myself. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Dr. Angel nodded, noting her disposition as she did so. In just a matter of seconds, everything about Janet had changed drastically. It wasn’t just her pitch or the way her eyes moved. No, every muscle in her body had instinctively responded in the most animalistic way possible, revealing just a glimpse of what Hannah had grown to fear in the deepest corners of her mind. And then, just like that, the tattooed receptionist returned to normal, smiling like an innocent schoolgirl with no recollection of what had just transpired.
“Did you say something, Dr.?” she asked, showing two perfect rows of white teeth.
“No, but I was wondering if there was a way to talk directly to those voices you hear. What do you think about hypnosis?”
Not much, if anything at all. Janet knew what it was, of course, but had never considered the hypothesis of willingly submitting to it. Much like what had happened with the doctor when confronted with her case, she had doubts about committing to such a different therapeutic approach, but luckily not much convincing had been necessary.
“We’ll try something next week,” Dr. Angel concluded. “See you then.”
Said and done. Unlike what the therapist had anticipated, Janet dropped into a trance quite easily, accepting her words and suggestions without thinking. The moment of breakthrough was at hand, but whether that would prove to be a boon or a hazard remained to be seen.
Dr. Angel laid down the small silver flashlight she had used as hypnotic focus and asked,
“Janet? Can you hear me?”
“Yes, Dr.,” the young woman replied, her voice incredibly calm and relaxed. “I can hear you.”
“Good. What about the voices in your head, Janet? Are they there with you and are they listening, too?”
“Yes. they’re here, and they’re listening. Do you wish to talk to them?”
“If it’s possible, yes. Will you allow them to speak through your mouth?”
“If that’s what you wish...”
“Yes, Janet. I do wish that. I want to know more about those you claim to dwell inside you. Please don’t be afraid and allow them to come forth.”
“Very well.”
Silence filled the room and if anyone bothered to look at the air conditioning display, they would have noticed the sudden drop in temperature. Janet’s hands and feet twitched uncontrollably as something primal crept forward from an unspeakable region beyond Space and Time.
“Good morning, Dr.,” said a thousand different masculine and feminine voices rolled into one. “We’ve been looking forward to this moment.”
“Hello,” the psychiatrist replied, a high-definition camera pointed at her patient. “Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?”
“We have many names, and yet none that does us justice. You may continue to call us ‘Janet’ for now.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why?”
“It helps to keep things compartmentalized. Janet is my patient, you’re not. Please choose another designation so we can interact properly.”
“Hmph... in that case, you may call us Myriad.”
“Very well,” she jotted down some notes. “How long have you been a part of Janet’s mind and what exactly are you doing there?”
“We’ve always been here. This is where we were born. This is where we’ll die. We belong here. You cannot drive us away from our home.”
“Who says I’m trying to do that?”
“We know what you do, Dr., and why you agreed to help her. Janet has no secrets from us even if sometimes she believes otherwise. The thoughts she dares not verbalize are clear: she’s convinced she’s slowly losing her sanity because of us. You are trying to ‘fix’ her thoughts, but she needs no fixing. Our presence keeps her whole in ways she can only imagine. She’s perfect the way she is with us guiding her.”
“Is that what you are? Guides?”
“We protect her and show her the way. Sometimes, she has trouble understanding us and gets confused. We’ve agreed to come forth to show you your efforts are not required. Janet doesn’t need your help.”
“That’s up to her to decide, not you.”
“No, it’s not. She often makes bad decisions and these sessions are yet another. With enough time, we will set her on the correct path again. Until then, the only thing you need to do is back off. We’ll take care of everything.”
“That’s not my way, Myriad.”
“Do you intend to fight us then?”
“I seek no form of confrontation with her, you, or anyone else. All I wish is to understand what I’m dealing with so I can help Janet be a better person, so if that equals ‘fighting’ in your vocabulary, then so be it. I’m willing to take the chance.”
Janet’s head tilted somberly. “You’d do well not to threaten us. We do not respond well to threats.”
“That wasn’t a threat, but that you interpreted it as one and are now acting so defensively, speaks volumes about your true nature.”
“Don’t be arrogant. Our nature is beyond your limited rational thinking. You cannot hope to comprehend our designs no matter how much you try. Spare yourself the humiliation and shame this course of action will undoubtedly bring you and leave us alone.”
“You have your goals, and I have mine. It’s obvious they don’t coincide at the moment, but I’m not letting go of this that easily. Thank you for the conversation, Myriad—whatever you are!—but I’ve already heard everything I wanted to hear for now. Janet, I know your true self is still there somewhere, so please listen. You did well opening your mind the way you did, but now it’s time to close it and wake up. I’m going to bring forth your consciousness once more on the count of three so we can continue having this conversation normally. Focus on my voice and follow it alongside the number, from the depths to the surface, from the shadows and into the light. Get ready to wake up in... one, two, three.”
Dr. Angel clapped her hands as the young girl yawned and returned to the world of the living, once again unaware of all the things she had said before.
“Welcome back. How are you feeling?” the therapist asked.
Janet blinked and scratched her forehead. “Like I was... dreaming just now?”
“Yes, that’s a common way of describing a trance state. You did very well, thank you for your cooperation.”
“Did you get the answers you wanted?”
“Not all, but enough to know what to do next. Given what happened, I would like for us to start a more aggressive course of treatment immediately. Three times a week for at least a month would be ideal. Can we make it happen?”
“If it were up to me, yes,” Janet sighed. “However...”
“Yes?”
“They just commanded me to tell you I’m forbidden to see you from now on and if you try to interfere...”
Janet stood up and, for a moment, it was as if her shadow had leathery, demonic wings enveloping both of them.
“BACK OFF!” the choir of inhuman voices echoed in the room, making the windows shake. “Don’t make us go there too.”
Dr. Angel let out a cold exhale as the receptionist mechanically walked out the front door, set on never returning. However, that was not to be. Both women didn’t know it yet, but that initial confrontation had set something else in motion that no voices, human or otherworldly, could stop. The game was on.